Resolved-Workaround: [Bug Report] Tomb Raider: Underworld & Legend [NTSC-U] - Hardware Mode issues

[Ryudo]

Game Title: Tomb Raider: Underworld
Region: NTSC-U
Region ID: SLUS-21858
Game CRC: 618769D6
_________________________________________

Bugs & Notes:
This is not just a 'minor graphical glitch' we're talking about.

Hardware Mode in this game makes it impossible to play. And I do mean impossible. The graphics are distorted beyond any means of playing, or you won't get any visual at all.

In this following screenshot it's in the first area of the game; Lara's manor. Later on the next level takes place in the ocean/underwater cave, and in that level I ended up not having any visual, it was just a frozen image and only software mode made it playable. This happens in native resolution too.

   

And on top of that, software mode doesn't like flashy stuff going on in the screen either. Take a look at this following screenshot taken while in Software Mode:

   

For some further reference, here's a screenshot of what it -should- look like in this level:

   


Possible work-around / Temporary fix:
Software Mode makes it playable, but even Software Mode has issues; blurriness, messed up graphics at the sides of the screen in particular areas, etc.


Video Example:
N/A. (Video can be made if requested.)


PCSX2 Info & Plugins:
Version: GIT 1.3.1-20
Plugins:

• GSdx SSE4 (& AVX2)
  • Renderer: D3D11 HW @ 2560x1440 (Also tested with Native)
    
  • Enable FXAA: On
    
  • Texture Filtering: Full
    
• LilyPad 0.11.0
  
• SPU2-X
  • Module: XAudio2
    
  • Latency: 150ms
    
  • Sync Mode: TimeStretch
    
• cdvdGigaherz 0.9.0
  

Speedhacks:

• EE Cyclerate: 1
  
• VU Cycle Stealing: 0
  
• mVU Flag Hack & MTVU: Enabled
  

Emulog:
N/A. Not necessary, nothing important is being listed.

[Bositman]

Tried DX9, OpenGL backends? Tried skipdraw in HW mode? ZeroGS? (to further the conclusion that this is a GSdx bug and not a core bug)

[Ryudo]

Skipdraw:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,15,20,25,30,35 -- All have the exact same result.

DX9:
Same result.

OpenGL:
Same result.

ZeroGS:
This one is interesting, the first screenshot that I posted in the topic was a 'frozen' render it seemed on top of the actual gameplay basically. But in ZeroGS all the garbage is moving around. Making it essentially even worse.

   

I guess it's not just a GSdx bug then after all since it occurs in ZeroGS too.

[Bositman]

Hm if it exists in ZeroGS too it doesn't mean it's a core issue (although there is a higher probability), it is possible both plugins fail similarly. But it's good info to know for debugging it

[Ryudo]

So I've been playing Tomb Raider Legend for a while as well, and besides a few minor texture glitches, I ran into this bug in Ghana as well. (Level 4)

Gonna guess these games use a similar if not completely the same engine.



Oddly enough this didn't occur in the previous levels. Still playing through the game, so I'll see if it happens elsewhere as well. (Software mode does seem to work for TR:Legend, but there's an odd kind of motion blur going on on the right side of the screen, which is the same thing that happens in software mode of TR:Underworld)

[refraction]

have you tested any of this with the new gsdx plugin in opengl mode?

[Ryudo]

Yeah just tested it, it's occurring there as well.

I think it's the 'fog' effect that's going through this level that's causing it.

Software mode:



[Edit]
And this is the same level later on, where the foggy zone isn't visible. (In hardware mode)

[gregory]

square with random dot are either mipmapping or a texture cache issue (texture just get uninitialized data, random data)

[refraction]

it doesn't look like the game uses mipmapping, i would bet on a texture cache issue.

[gregory]

IIRC, I have a gs dump with a mipmap issue on Tomb Raider (dunno which version). But yeah it looks like a "standard" TC issue.